Skewered Shrimp Recipe With Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 1¼ pound shrimps, fresh or frozen
2 medium zucchini (about ½ pound each), lengthwise halved and chopped into 1 inch thick slices
3 tablespoon fresh chives, snipped
½ cup fresh basil, snipped
1, eight ounce sour cream pack, light dairy or fat free
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or orange juice
½ teaspoon fresh lemon peel or orange peel, shredded finely
2 tablespoon olive oil, preferably extra virgin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 cups fresh spinach, shredded
Basil leaves, fresh (optional)

Skewered Shrimp Cooking Method

1. Combine the fat free or light dairy sour cream along with chives, snipped basil, ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper in a blender or a food processor for sauce. Cover and blend or process the ingredients until they turn smooth. Remove the smooth sauce in a bowl. Cover the bowl and place it in a refrigerator to chill until it is ready to serve.
2. If you plan to use frozen shrimps then make sure to thaw them thoroughly before proceeding. Peel the fresh or thawed shrimps in such a way that their tails remain intact. Devein them and rinse. Pat them dry with the help of paper towels.
3. Alternatively thread zucchini and shrimps on long skewers. Do not cramp both; leave at least a ¼ inch space between the two.
4. Combine lemon peel or orange peel along with lemon juice or orange juice in a small bowl. Add cayenne pepper and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix well. Brush this mixture evenly over threaded zucchini and shrimp.
5. Lightly grease the rack of an uncovered grill. Place skewers directly over the greased rack over medium coals. Grill until the shrimps turn opaque and the zucchini is soft or for about 10 minutes. Turn once halfway through the grilling process to ensure even cooking.
6. Arrange shredded fresh spinach in a serving plate and top with the skewers. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and cream sauce if desired. You may even serve the chilled sauce in a separate bowl along with skewers. This recipe makes 6 servings.

Health Tip:

• Skewered shrimp and zucchini with basil cream sauce is a diabetes friendly recipe which provides about 171 calories and 6 gm total fat (108 mg cholesterol and 1 gm saturated fat) per serving.
• This recipe can be considered high protein, low carbohydrate recipe as it provides about 20 gm proteins and 10 gm carbohydrates per serving.
• This is a high sodium recipe as it provides about 447 mg sodium per serving. If you are on a low sodium diet and plan to include this recipe in your meal then balance your intake of other sodium rich foods accordingly.